


I am a gentleman only

by salvadore



Category: Social Network (2010)
Genre: Courtship, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Non-Chronological
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-18
Updated: 2011-06-18
Packaged: 2017-11-20 15:05:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/586681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/salvadore/pseuds/salvadore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cameron attempts to woo Divya, and does a terrible job at it. At first Divya is amused, and then he just <i>really</i> wishes Cameron would kiss him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I am a gentleman only

“When are you going to just give in and say yes,” Tyler asks as he and Divya hit the sidewalk outside of the Porcellian. He playfully nudges Div with his elbow, though the weight and height disparity between them makes the nudge more of a shove. Divya trips over his feet as the shove sends him sideways. He throws his hand out and slaps them against a store front window to stop from falling into it. The shoppers on the other side of the pane jump and look at Divya with angry eyes. Divya glares at Tyler, who just smiles sweetly back.

“Who says I'm going to say yes?” Divya grumbles, feeling petulant for almost eating glass. Tyler must understand that the tone isn't aimed at his brother's attempts at courtship, because he only rolls his eyes instead of standing up for Cameron.

 

It starts with flowers. And maybe Divya should give Cameron points for having the balls to bring a bouquet into Divya's advanced trig class, and for setting them on Divya's desk for everyone to see. The blush that had settled high on Cam's cheeks had even been cute, if one could call anyone over six-two cute.

Cam had even made the effort of ordering the flowers special from a nursery in Virginia. According to Tyler it was the only nursery nearby that carried the specific flower, with the very specific meaning, that Cameron had been researching for weeks.

Except, Cam had miscalculated when he ordered the flowers, and there were a couple a dozen bouquets taking up space in his and Ty's dorm. And the flowers, to top everything else, had set Cameron and Tyler to sneezing by the minute because, apparently, they are allergic to the damn things.

“Why didn't you just throw them away?” Divya asks as he moves around the room throwing the wilting flowers into the trash bin clutched in the crook of his elbow. Cameron shrugs from where he is hunched, pathetically, over his laptop. He sniffles and pulls several Kleenexes from a nearby box. He blows into the Kleenexes, and when Divya makes another pass by the bed, Cameron sheepishly dumps the pile of soiled tissues into the bin.

“I don't know,” Cam finally replies, mispronouncing the words because of his runny nose. Cameron's cheeks are red again and Divya squints down at the blonde, trying to decide if it is the allergies or something else. Then he goes back to cleaning up, even tossing stray items of clothing toward the twins' hampers as he stumbles upon them, in relative silence.

A few moments later, when Divya is making move towards the door, Cameron calls out, “You never told me what you thought of the flowers.”

He's looking straight at Divya.

Divya smiles back and says, “I'm aware,” before he leaves with the trash bin propped up against his hip.

 

Divya is studying in the library when Cameron tries again. The reason Divya knows something is afoot is by the look on Tyler's face when the blonde stumbles upon him between the stacks. Tyler goes from his default smile to a frown. Watching the transition, Divya pauses with his red pen held an inch above his most recent draft of his analytical paper. He also raises an eyebrow at the way Tyler is looking steadily more upset. And guilty. 

Whenever Tyler is guilty he starts to clench and unclench his fists a lot. Cameron says that it has to do with the number of times Tyler got into trouble for punching their classmates when they were younger. When Tyler would get sent home, his clenching and unclenching fists were all the sign that their father needed to know Tyler had clocked another child. Divya doesn't know about that story, but he does know that it makes Tyler terrible at poker and, well, any board game that involves lying or faking.

“Tyler,” Divya starts to greet his friend, a question in his tone. He's interrupted from asking how Tyler is doing when Tyler spins around, reaching for his phone as he does so. There's a moment where Divya is stuck watching Tyler pray for someone to pick up the other end of the line. Divya's eyebrow rises steadily higher as Tyler begins to pull at his hair. Just when Divya thinks his face might stick in this incredulous expression, whoever Tyler's calling answers.

“Abort mission,” Tyler hisses running over the greeting coming from the other end of the line. Tyler turns, running a hand through his hair to flatten where he has pulled it up. The action is meant to make him look less perturbed but instead makes him look more stressed. Divya opens his mouth, to tell Tyler this or at the very least ask him where the fire is, only to have his words dismissed by a wave of Tyler's free hand.

“Because I'm looking at Div right now,” Tyler says, sounding tired now instead of rushed. Then he is nodding along to what's being said to him. Tyler closes his eyes and clenches the bridge of his nose abruptly. He starts shaking his head in the next moment. By now, Divya suspects that Cameron is on the other end of the line. He's also beginning to suspect that he wants no part in what Cameron has planned.

“Of course I'm pissed,” Tyler says, exhausted. He points to the chair across from Divya and makes a face that is supposed to say 'is this seat taken?' but looks more like 'I'm going to sit here, bitch'. Divya kicks it out for him and gets a nod of thanks in return.

“I don't know Cam, maybe because I set up a fuck ton of chairs and music stands for this stupid idea,” Tyler quips as he flops bodily into the chair.

Divya drops his gaze to the papers in front of him. He can feel his ears burning as he imagines what Cameron has set up. He tries to shake the thoughts away by concentrating on editing his term paper and sets to work reading the next sentence. Making a frustrated face Divya scratches red across an entire paragraph. For two pages Divya tunes Tyler out while he makes a disbelieving face at the paper he can no longer remembers writing. He gets lost in it, alternating between marking words out and drawing question marks where citations are necessary.

Then there are fingers tapping in the middle of the page. Divya blinks at looks up at Tyler who is covering the mouth of his cellphone as he holds it away from his ear.

“Could you go back to your dorm. Preferably right now?” Tyler asks looking as though both of their lives might depend on it.

Divya frowns. “Have you ever known me to willingly study in the library? The only reason I'm here right now is because my roommate's girlfriend threw me out.”

He turns back to his paper, hackles raised now. On a number of occasions he and Tyler have discussed their mutual distaste for the library's tendency to be too silent or too occupied with screaming idiots.

Divya looks up when Tyler chokes out a laugh. Tyler's face has gone red and he's abandoned his cellphone so he can try and smother his laughter. Not that he's doing a very good job. In moments, Tyler is laughing so hard that Divya is concerned he might fall out of his chair.

There a few beats of silence after Tyler, finally, gets himself under control, or at least goes from full belly laughter to silent laughter with his face pressed into the table. Then Divya's phone starts ringing. Tyler looks up at Div with a smile uncurling Cheshire-like as the phone rings in the silence between them. Then Tyler drops his head back down onto the tabletop as starts laughing again, clearly knowing something Div doesn't. Divya almost tells Tyler that he hopes he gets a concussion, but he answer his phone instead, murmuring a distracted hello as he kicks Tyler's shin to get him to shut up.

“Hey man,” Div's roommate responds. He sounds half awake and as distracted as Divya. “Do you have any idea why there is a full symphony camped out, at the ready, under our window?”

Div chokes, head whipping upward to stare wide-eyed at Tyler. Tyler's reaction is to flop backwards in the chair so quickly it tips back onto legs before dropping on all fours, his body shaking with more full body laughter.

“I fucking hate you,” Div hisses at Tyler.

Somehow Tyler gasps out, “Not my fault,” between his laughing and shaking. His face is actually red from lack of oxygen. Divya kicks Tyler in the shin again, only harder.

In the background Divya can hear his roommate asking if it's a prank, revenge because his girlfriend Melissa kicked Divya out. Before Divya can respond his roommate changes lines of thinking and ask if it is instead an attempt to get on Melissa's good side after the whole 'Going into business with that little motherfucker, Zucker-something.' Divya hangs up instead of answering the question and chooses to bury his head in his arms. Maybe he can stay this way until his ears stop burning and it stops being the talk of the Porcellian. At some point Tyler laughs himself right out of his chair and onto the floor.

 

When Divya is trudging back to his dorm a few hours later he passes groups of musicians standing about chatting on the green. Each has an instrument in their hands or a case at their feet. Divya ducks his head as soon as he spots them and attempts to speed walk past them without being noticed. He doubts that Cameron would have passed around a picture of him or anything, it would be uncharacteristic for Cameron to turn an orchestra into some sort of army in search of Div with their mission being to play romantic music for him. 

But then again, the very idea that Cameron would book a symphony at all, let alone in an attempt to woo him, was unbelievable until today. So Divya pulls the collar of his coat up around his chin and ducks his head down and just hopes that he can get inside the building without being accosted.

It might have worked except, Cameron is sitting on the front step and Divya's attempts at evasion cause him to walk straight into the Winklevoss twin without seeing him.

“Div!” Cameron calls, trying to make himself known, but its too late by that point. Divya falls into Cameron, causing them both to sprawl across the steps. Their groans and the sound of Divya's backpack hitting the stone with the thundering clatter of all his papers and pens spilling onto the ground, create enough of a commotion to draw the attention of the musicians standing about. Divya flushes and clenches his eyes shut against the amount of attention they have surely garnered.

There is an arm wrapped around his waist, holding him tight against Cameron's side. Divya's chin is pressed into the tense muscle of Cameron's shoulder, hooked on Cameron's collar bone and far too near to the scent of Cameron's aftershave. He wants to die or at least be swallowed alive by a worm hole because this whole fiasco will follow him for years. He just knows it.

“Div - ?”

Before Cameron can get another word in, Divya propels himself backward onto his feet. He grabs at Cameron' hands when he lifts them up toward Divya, as though to catch him from falling again. Wrapping his fingers around Cameron's, and absolutely not thinking too much about it, Divya stumbles down the steps as he tugs at Cameron. He's trying to hoist the blonde to his feet but when Cameron ends up at his full stature it has very little to do with Divya. Divya doesn't let go of Cameron's hands, at least not immediately. Instead he rapidly drags Cameron up the stairs and into the building.

He doesn't give Cameron a chance to speak, but jumps in on berating Cameron from the get go.

“What in the hell were you thinking?!”

To Cameron's character, he actually looks embarrassed. He drops his head and focuses his eyes on their still clasped hands. Divya drops Cameron's hands from his own the instant Cameron brings attention to them.

“I –, ” Cameron starts before he trails off with a blush rising to his cheeks. He is staring down at his hands and flexing his fingers, and Divya decidedly doesn't look at them or else he will also be thinking about holding hands. Divya coughs, not nearly subtly enough, and Cameron jerks his head up to stare at Divya before blushing a shade darker.

“The flowers didn't work,” Cameron says as though it the perfect explanation.

Divya splutters. “And that gives you a reason to bring an orchestra to my dorm? Did your boombox run out of batteries?”

Divya feels terrible the moment his lips close around the last syllable because Cameron looks like a kicked puppy. Or like he's a third grader who made his first Valentine's card out of glitter and red construction paper, but before he could give it to his crush it started raining - ruining the poor thing. The whole idea makes Divya imagine himself with pigtails and generally think of himself as an evil person. He thinks it also might mean that he is exhausted if he is getting so sentimental.

“Just - Could you think of an easier way to ask me out? A way that doesn't involve gestures right out of Hugh Grant film?”

Cameron grins sheepishly.

“Yeah. I can do that.”

Divya smiles back, feeling relieved. He watches Cameron and waits, expecting the blonde to ask him out. Except, the words never come out of Cameron's mouth. Instead Cameron nods to either himself or to Divya and then turns, looking a bit bashful, and goes out the main door, disappearing into a crowd of musicians while he scratches at the back of his head.

Then the front door is shut and Divya is staring at the tall, carved wood. Incredulity fills him and Divya decides to run up the stairs and go to bed as soon as possible. Maybe when he wakes up it will all have been a bad dream.

 

A few days later, a text message arrives to his phone in the middle of an econ lecture. 

> To: Divya  
>  From: C. Winklevoss  
>  Would you be able to meet at No. 9 prk at nine?

Divya chokes a bit on air as he fumbles his phone to the chagrin of the classmates on his left and right. As they glare at him Divya ignores the looks in favor of trying to type out a rebuke of Cameron's choice because, really? Cameron is taking the courtship thing a little too strongly and Divya is feeling uncomfortable at the idea of Cameron footing the bill.

> To: C. Winklevoss  
>  From: Divya  
>  We could just order pizza!(?)

Cameron texts back, completely ignoring Divya's suggestion.

> To: Divya  
>  From: C. Winklevoss  
>  Would earlier be better? 7?  
>  We could hold off until 10 if your study group runs too long.

Divya somehow manages to refrain from dropping his head to the desk with a loud thunk. Then he texts Cameron back to say that nine would be fine.

In the evening he dresses smart in a black button down and gray slacks. Divya's fingers shake when he tries to hook the buttons, the hardest tremors coming when he sets to button up his shirt cuffs, and it take a few tries to get the clasp on his watch to catch. Divya takes a deep breath and catches a look at himself in the mirror. Chewing his lip, Divya brushes his hair down and repeats the address of the restaurant in his head. He adjusts his belt and then brushes a hand down the front of his shirt. Opening his mouth, Divya repeats the address once more, aloud to his reflection to dispel his disbelief.

The disbelief doesn't ebb. Shaking his head and spinning on his heels, Divya grabs up his coat, wallet, and keys from the bed before he can become late. Pulling on his jacket Divya slides his wallet into his back pocket, turns his keys around his forefinger as he hurries to the door. Divya stuffs his hands into the pockets of his coat so as not to ruin the press of his trousers by rubbing his hands nervously over them.

Divya steps out onto the street and sets off for Harvard Square Station to catch the Red Line to Park Street Station. It is a half-hour ride then a short walk to the restaurant and Divya arrives with five minutes to spare. As he makes his way through the main doors Divya's heart hammers with expectation, which he hadn't anticipated.

It's not as if Cameron is unattractive. It is more of a matter of Cameron being Divya's best friend (one of two, though that is hardly the point) and until recently their interactions were tinged with sexual tension. A sexual tension that had gone unacknowledged except by Tyler who had teased them both mercilessly. Divya never expected it be anything but unacknowledged between them two of them.

And then Cameron, the gentleman of Harvard that he is, gets it in his head to court Divya. It's enough to send Divya into a tizzy as he is seated, so much so that he nervously takes sips at his water and wrings the edge of the tablecloth between his hands. There is a heaviness in his stomach and an ache in his throat. Divya pulls at his collar and then wrings the tablecloth some more while he waits for Cameron to arrive.

 

Cameron doesn't show up. 

By the time Divya gives up hope, he has been waiting for two hours and watching the waiter give him pitying eyes each time he brings Divya the menu. Divya takes one last sip from his water glass. When he stands, Divya centers himself by straightening out his shirt and taking a deep breath through clenched teeth. He starts walking toward the front door on his exhale. Divya nods to the few people who turn to look at him as he passes by. He doesn't do it for any other reason than it's polite, and manners are ingrained him.

Divya breathes through his nose and manages a slow pace all the way to the street. But once there is concrete beneath his feet, Divya takes off a jog for the train station. If he knocks into anyone as he runs, Divya doesn't even falter to apologize because he doesn't register it happening. All he feels is a heat behind his eyes and embarrassment heating his cheeks. He is jumping to conclusions without any thought to Cameron's previous attempts at wooing; in that moment it is as if the romantic gestures are years into the past and all Divya can focus on is how stupid he must have looked. Sitting and waiting like a fool. 

On the train ride back to Harvard, Divya sinks his fingers into his hair and stares at his shoes. He doesn't cry and he tries hard not to think.

 

When Divya gets back to campus he passes a black town car parked in a pick up zone. He gives it a passing look before jogging the last few yards to his dorm. There is a driver sitting on the dorm's stoop and Divya almost passes by him in a rush. Except. The driver is dressed in a suit and a cap, looking like he stepped out of a film and Divya falters at the sight of him. This gives Cameron, who has been running up behind him, the opportunity to catch Divya's attention by shouting his name. 

Divya turns to look at his friend and notices that Cameron looks frenzied, recently showered, and hectically dressed.

“Practice ran late,” Cameron explains quickly, like he might not get a second chance. 

What endears his apology to Div, however, is how Cameron immediately sweeps both of Divya's hands between his own.

“I am so, so sorry,” Cameron says as he bends closer to Divya, hunched down and looking sincerely apologetic as his eyes flick back and forth to scrutinize Divya's face. His hair is still damp and when Divya tugs him closer it drips on Divya's forehead.

“I'm furious with you,” Divya says. He holds tight to Cameron's hands and presses his forehead to Cameron's by bouncing up onto the balls of his feet. There is a nervous tension to Cameron that Divya can feel in his hands and he holds on even tighter to prevent Cameron from running away. Divya let's loose a shuddering sigh, letting loose some of his frustration as he does so.

Blinking, having unintentionally closed his eyes, Divya adds, “But call me tomorrow and we can talk about it.”

Then Divya pivots and walks past the driver with a nod and through the front doors. He doesn't look back, even when he hears Cameron apologize to the driver and promise that he will get paid even though his services were rendered useless.

 

After the restaurant fiasco, as Tyler has fondly chosen to name it, there is another failed attempt at flowers, a failed invitation to the movies, and home-made dinner gone awry. In Cameron's defense, the last was Divya's fault. Divya had spent the whole day before going over to Cameron's dorm studying for finals and frustratedly trying to get a hold of Zuckerberg. He had forgotten to eat breakfast and just when he had meant to fit in lunch, he'd spotted Mark on the quad and tried to chase after him. Zuckerberg got away and, finding himself on the wrong end of campus, Divya had to turn just to turn up to one of his classes five minutes behind schedule. 

When he gets to Cameron's and is offered a plate of spaghetti Divya flops onto the couch and proceeds to shovel the noodles into his mouth. Cameron has his back turned, opening a bottle of wine presumably, and he chuckles when Divya thanks him through a mouthful for remembering to make the meal vegetarian.

However, when Cameron turns around with two glasses of wine to find Divya's plate empty a look of vague horror comes over him.

Divya takes the glass of wine absentmindedly saying, “Thank you.”

He takes a sip then pauses and looks back up at Cameron and freezes at the sight of Cameron with his glass held high and his own plate full on the table beside Divya's empty one. The terrible idea that Cameron might have been attempting to reenact The Lady & the Tramp makes a blush rise to Divya's cheeks. He is torn between embarrassment at ruining the attempt and wishing that, when he had warned Cameron off of quirky British films as inspiration for courtship, that he had told him to stay away from Disney classics as well.

“Oh god,” Divya says. His mouth snaps shut as soon as the words finish sneaking their way out. His right hand flails as he makes half an attempt at pressing his hand to his lips to keep them shut, but thinks better of it and traps it between his leg and the couch cushion.

“No, it's fine,” Cameron interrupts. He waves his free hand as though to brush off the fact that he was cooking in the dorm's kitchen earlier, basically putting up with the nightmare conditions of burned pans and students coming and going with burnt popcorn, just for Divya only to have his true motives go unnoticed. Divya sinks down in the sofa and tries not to feel like an idiot.

And to ignore the way Cameron pokes morosely at his own food because it is unfairly endearing.

 

Out of the blue, a hat box arrives outside Divya's dorm with a card and a scratching noise emanating from it's interior. 

Divya starts sneezing even before the puppy inside the box starts barking. Covering his nose with his hand Divya stares horrified at the small, red brown body running around the circuit of the box. He grabs for his phone as he slides the box across the floor, from the hallway to the bedroom.

Divya calls Melissa first to get her to pick-up the small dog. He calls Cameron second and leaves him a voicemail to explain why there would be an absence of canines the next time they see each other.

Cameron shows up after practice with a case of beer and an odd curiosity about everything (and anything) Divya is allergic to.

 

It all comes to a complete, and fairly anti-climactic, end after Divya finally loses all patience and amusement in Cameron's attempts. Cameron's sheepish smile is etched into Div's mind and while the sight is endearing, Divya would much rather have Cameron's lips set to a better use. A first kiss would be a good start.

Divya tries not to dwell on how long this courting-thing has been going on without so much as a kiss. It feels too pathetic and not at all regency-style romantic, and Divya has set his mind to change that.

 Though, in hindsight, Divya ought not have told all of that to Tyler before he had a chance to employ a grand scheme.

 

“I would say 'yes' to your brother,” Divya grumbles as he slips his hands into his pocket. “If he ever actually asked me out.” 

Tyler laughs from his belly, with his head thrown back and a gleeful look that makes Divya think of Cameron.

When Tyler stops laughing Divya is two steps ahead, but it doesn't take much for Tyler to catch up. As he passes Divya, he gives a kick toward Divya's ankle. It doesn't hurt so Divya doesn't respond to it. Instead, Divya toes at the sidewalk with his loafers and mumbles out his ideas of true grandiose gestures.

In his defense, Divya only mentions kisses of an earth shattering nature after Tyler gets him drunk.

 

The next morning Divya feels groggy and hungover after a night of drinking with Tyler. He's less than verbose when Cameron calls him at ten am (so it's not truly morning but all of Divya's papers are in and he wants to sleep late for once in a month).

 " 'ello?"

"Could you come downstairs?" Cameron asks. His voice is soft in a manner that Divya has come to know as Cameron's way of being shy and nervous. It's one of several differentiating factors between him and his brother.

Divya must say 'yes,' though he doesn't remember doing so. On autopilot he follows the stairs down and straight out of the building into the nearly blinding sun.

Cameron is standing on the sidewalk in a suit, with a freaking flower and pocket square while Divya stares at him, in his pockets and in a mild amount of shock. Cameron's hair is even slicked back and when he smiles Divya imagines him with a thin mustache and a champagne flute. Or woman in fine dress on his arm.

“Cam-” Divya says to start his questioning of the blonde's presence, and eventually an explanation for the suit, but he is interrupted by Cameron kissing him.

Cameron crosses the steps between them in the long moment it takes for Divya to call his name and wraps his arms around Div. Then he kisses Divya hard, and even dips him. Divya grabs on to Cameron's broad shoulders more to stop from falling than for the sake of romance, but once he is reassured of Cameron's hold on his waist, Divya gives into the kiss. He smiles into it and draws his fingers through Cameron's hair.

He's feeling dizzy when Cameron sets him back on his feet and he knows he is spoiling the moment and whatever Cameron had planned when he snatches up the blonde's wrist and proceeds to draw him inside the building.

“Div-”

“I want to have sex with you right this very instant and I would appreciate it if you only present me with valid reasons for complaint at this point.”

Cameron's laugh thunders behind him. When Cameron surges forward, wrapping his arms around Divya's waist and pulling him flush to Cameron's chest, Divya can feel the vibration of more subdued chuckles.

"And they better be extremely valid. Heart condition valid."

Divya shivers when Cameron presses his lips to Divya's temple. There is a murmur of words against his skin and Divya cannot be held accountable for the way he sinks into Cameron's body.

"I have absolutely no complaints," Cameron says. They sway together at the bottom of the stairs, Divya in his flannel pajama pants and Cameron in his three hundred dollar shoes.

Then Cameron hoists Divya into his arms and carries him kicking and screaming up the stairs - bridal style.


End file.
